The Indian government has got requests for India-made vaccines from all across the world with New Delhi partnering with all interested in a “phased manner”. The request has come from developed as well as developing countries from all the continents due to India’s huge “manufacturing capacity”.
India started shipping out vaccines last week and so far, has gifted vaccines to seven countries in the immediate neighbourhood and commercially sent supplies to three countries – Brazil, Morocco and Bangladesh. India has already supplied India has already gifted 44 lakh 50 thousand locally manufactured vaccines, and commercially sent 90 lakh doses of vaccines so far.
From North America, it has got a request from Canada, in the Caribbean (CARICOM Countries), the request has come from the Dominican Republic, in South America, from Brazil. The request has come from the Pacific islands, Europe and several Arab countries – Egypt, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait among others.
When it comes to Africa it has got a request from Morocco in the north to South Africa covering a wide expanse of the continent. In the neighbourhood, all the countries barring one and a whole host of countries in Asia–from Mongolia, Cambodia and many central Asian countries have sent the request to New Delhi.
Termed as Delhi’s “vaccine diplomacy” is expected to continue for a long period of time and can take months or even years. The number of requests from global capitals is increasing with each passing week, with New Delhi taking the call keeping in view number of facts such a domestic need. India started its countrywide mega vaccination on 16th January and so far, 19.5 lakh healthcare workers have been vaccinated.
Most of the COVID-19 vaccines India is exporting come from Pune based Serum Institute of India (SII) which is the world’s largest manufacturers of vaccines.
SII has been given certain territorial rights by Oxford-AstraZeneca to produce the covid vaccine–COVISHIELD for the neighbourhood, Africa and Latin America. The company has an agreement with Gavi–Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization from which many African and other countries are expected to get.
Source : Wion News
